-LRB- CNN -RRB- Tori Sisson and Shanté Wolfe of Tuskegee , Alabama , camped outside the Montgomery County Courthouse overnight , hoping that when the sun rose Monday , they 'd be the first same-sex couple to be legally married in the county .

They arrived at 2 p.m. Sunday and set up their tent . Expecting a crowd -- of mostly media and friends , or their `` chosen family , '' as many of their kin do n't approve of their relationship -- they awoke at 5 a.m. Monday to get dressed `` so that when we got out of the tent we 'd look like a million bucks , '' Sisson said .

Sisson , 24 , and Wolfe , 21 , have known each other for seven years . They 've been dating for two . Last year , the pair got `` spiritually married '' in Tuskegee , but it was n't a state-recognized union -- where all the rights and benefits of matrimony are conferred on both partners .

They previously considered going to a state that allowed same-sex marriage , but Wolfe balked at the idea .

`` We work here and we pay taxes here , and we did n't feel it was right that we 'd have to do that because nobody else does , '' she said .

Though there were some minor computer problems in issuing their license , their wish soon came true .

With one of their godmothers performing the ceremony , they exchanged vows outside the courthouse and kissed as a phalanx of media cameras captured the moment . -LRB- One of those cameras belonged to the Human Rights Campaign , a watchdog group involved in marriage equality advocacy ; Sisson works for the organization . -RRB-

Sisson wept , while Wolfe did not .

`` One of us has to hold it together , '' Wolfe quipped .

Sisson 's tears were n't borne solely of the bliss that comes with being joined in union with your beloved . Sure , those sentiments were there , Sisson said , but she cried also because she had been thinking all night about the myriad couples who were denied the opportunity she and Wolfe were able to seize Monday .

`` We have the honor to be the first couple in Montgomery County to do this . It 's amazing , '' Sisson said , explaining the `` overwhelming and overflowing love I have for Shanté but also for people and the hope I have in my heart that this really means progress here . ''

Though the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama cleared the way for same-sex marriages to begin Monday in Alabama , the famously conservative chief justice of the state Supreme Court on Sunday mounted a last-ditch effort to stop the weddings , instructing probate judges not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples .

That did n't stop several couples from converging on county courthouses across the state . Probate Judge Alan King in Jefferson County , the state 's most populous , said there appeared to be a larger-than-usual crowd outside the courthouse when he arrived at work Monday .

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore , who was ousted from his first chief justice post in 2003 after refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery , wrote that his Sunday order on same-sex marriages is necessary to ensure justice in the state .

`` Effective immediately , no Probate Judge of the State of Alabama nor any agent or employee of any Alabama Probate Judge shall issue or recognize a marriage license that is inconsistent '' with the state code or constitution , Moore wrote in the order .

The state code says `` marriage is inherently a unique relationship between a man and a woman . ''

The American Civil Liberties Union called Moore 's order spurious and reminded Alabama 's probate judges they are sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution , which outweighs state law on this issue .

`` Judge Roy Moore has no authority to trump a federal court 's decision , '' said Susan Watson , executive director of the ACLU of Alabama . `` By issuing his ` order , ' he has done nothing but create confusion among the different probate offices across the state . Whereas some counties are issuing licenses to same-sex couples , there are many who are n't . Unfortunately , we have received a number of complaints to that effect . ''

The Human Rights Campaign has already denounced the order as a `` clear violation of all codes of legal ethics , '' and several counties -- including Jefferson , Montgomery and Madison -- have told CNN they intend to issue same-sex marriage licenses Monday .

But in Tuscaloosa County , where five same-sex couple were awaiting licenses when the court opened Monday , chief probate clerk Lisa Whitehead said the court would follow Moore 's guidance .

`` We will be issuing traditional marriage licenses , '' she told CNN .

Shelby , Marshall and Houston counties also are declining to issue the licenses , and in Lee County , where two same-sex couples attempted to tie the knot Monday , Judge Bill English said he , too , was `` complying with an order from the chief justice late last night . ''

Other probate judges were n't sure Moore had the law behind him .

`` I was shocked , '' King said of his reaction to Moore 's order . `` I 'm old enough to remember the George Wallace stand in the schoolhouse door . I was a kid at the time . ''

King was referencing the 1963 attempt by then-Gov . Wallace to stop the federally ordered desegregation of schools by blocking black students from entering the University of Alabama 's Foster Auditorium .

Contacted before his court opened for the day , King said he does n't want to be on that side of history . After consulting with attorneys who helped him analyze Moore 's order , `` I 'm convinced it 's my duty to follow the U.S. Constitution and the federal court order . At 8 a.m. , we will be issuing marriage licenses to all in Jefferson County . ... I do n't think -LRB- Moore 's order -RRB- is grounded in legal theory , just like Gov. Wallace in the 1960s was not grounded in law , '' he said .

Gov. Robert Bentley said he would not punish probate judges who issue the licenses .

In a statement that included a link to the U.S. Supreme Court 's dissenting opinion but not the majority opinion that cleared the way for the marriages , the governor said he was disappointed `` a single Federal court judge disregarded the vote of the Alabama people to define marriage as between a man and woman . ''

He added that he had `` great respect '' for the legal process and said , `` We will follow the rule of law in Alabama , and allow the issue of same sex marriage to be worked out through the proper legal channels . ''

Anyone monitoring the situation in Alabama likely expected Moore to try and block it . Four days after a U.S. District Court judge struck down the state 's ban on same-sex marriages on January 23 , Moore hand-delivered a letter to Bentley calling for him `` to stop judicial tyranny and any unlawful opinions issued without constitutional authority . ''

The federal court that struck down the ban permitted a stay until Monday to allow probate courts to prepare . Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the marriages until the high court rules on a case on its docket that will decide the fate of same-sex marriages in four states .

The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it would not intervene for now , making Alabama the 37th state -LRB- plus Washington , D.C. -RRB- to permit same-sex marriages .

`` In this case , the Court refuses even to grant a temporary stay when it will resolve the issue at hand in several months , '' Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a dissent . `` I would have shown the people of Alabama the respect they deserve and preserved the status quo while the Court resolves this important Constitutional question . ''

Strange responded in a statement : `` In the absence of a stay , there will likely be more confusion in the coming months leading up to the Supreme Court 's anticipated ruling on the legality of same-sex marriage . '' Strange further advised probate judges to consult with their attorneys `` about how to respond to the ruling . ''

Opinion : Gay marriage is Alabama judge 's latest battle

CNN 's Devon M. Sayers , John Branch , Deborah E. Bloom , Dave Alsup and Ariane de Vogue contributed to this report .

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Governor slams ruling but says , `` We will follow the rule of law in Alabama ''

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Some counties defy state Supreme Court chief justice ; others follow his order

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State chief justice tells probate courts to ignore federal rulings allowing marriage